November 28, 2011

Today's review is a cigar blend that has received outstanding feedback from almost everyone who has smoked it, but in a size that has seemed to fly under the radar a bit. The Illusione Epernay Le Taureau was released around two months ago and is the second release of a box-pressed shape in this line. I've smoked my fair share the La Matin (the first box-pressed release) and have loved every one.

Quote from Dion owner of Illusion Cigars about the new release: These new sizes were supposed to be a store-only exclusive cigar for my shop. I decided to let them out to others after I was sure the blend would perform well. As with all my new releases, I make very small quantities to ensure the blend is perfect before going in to larger production #'s.

I saw that this stick was recently rated a whopping 93 by Cigar Insider. Let's see how the Le Taureau treats me. (Who am I kidding, we know this is going to be awesome!)

The first thing noticed when I held my Epernay Le Taureau was the nice shape. I am not normally a big box-pressed cigar guy, but this press wasn't overdone like so many others which feel a little like smoking a Lincoln Log. The wrapper was a medium to medium dark brown in color with some spalting effects in various places. The veins were minimal and it felt very smooth to the touch. The pre-lit aroma was a mixture of sweetness and natural tobacco with the cold draw picking up a strong hazelnut flavor.

First Third

Right out of the gate I felt like I was smoking an elegant cigar. The initial flavors were a mild peppery spice, especially on the finish with a warm, sweet raw honey taste on the front. The flavors were fantastic, but to me, the thing that set this cigar apart was the flavor balance. Neither of the flavors dominated the other and both showed their full potential on every draw. The construction was great and the burn razor straight. The strength of the cigar at this point was in the medium to lower-full range.

Second Third

The second third of my Epernay Le Taureau saw some changes in the flavor profile, but many on the finish, with the departure of the peppery spice and the arrival of some cedar. The front of each puff was still very sweet, but I would say it was more like a burnt sugar taste than a honey flavor. Again, the balance of the smoke and flavors were perfect and wonderfully enjoyable. Something else I want to add is how clean the smoke left your palate. This is a big cigar and it produced a lot of smoke, but at no point did I ever feel like my mouth was dirty or burnt. Toward the end of the second third, the strength started to show its teeth and I would say it was well into the full range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my Epernay Le Taureau was a clone of the second third with the flavors, but the strength bumped up even more. At this point I would say to anyone that this is a strong cigar and make sure you eat first. With that said, it is not overwhelmingly strong or sickening, just be careful to plan ahead. Everything else in the final third was perfect and I smoked this stick down until my fingers started to burn.

My final thoughts on the Illusione Epernay Le Taureau? I've said this a lot recently, but this is a Top 5 cigar of the year for me (sooner or later I'll have to make that list.) It's not the most complex flavor profile you will ever smoke and it's not the flashiest release of the year, but what it is, in my opinion, is the most well-balanced blend on the market today. The Le Taureau is just another perfect example of this blend. If you can find another cigar that has a more perfect marriage of spice and sweetness than the Epernay, please leave a comment and let me know what it is.

Would I buy it again? All day every day. Lucky for me the only place that has them currently is New havana cigars which is located in my home town. I spoke to Dan (@nhcdan on twitter) about these cigars and he said he still had some left, but this first shipment was very small.

Would I buy a box? This is a high priced cigar, but 100% box worthy cigar.

November 21, 2011

The excitement around the cigar up for review today would be deafening if the internet could scream. The San Lotano Oval from AJ Fernandez has been reviewed now on many sites and I have personally heard from a few fellow cigar bloggers that this cigar could be their #1 cigar of the year. Those are some big words because I know these guys pretty well and I know they smoke A LOT of different cigars. These cigars are being made at AJ's factory Tabacalera Fernandez in Estelí, Nicaragua, just like the rest of his San Lotano line.

A quote from the AJ Fernandez website:The prestigious San Lotano Oval from AJ Fernandez presents in a highly unique oval shape. The key to an enhanced smoking experience: ultra-premium aged tobacco. The new Oval affords a truly distinguished balance like no other.

I was pretty excited to try this cigar, having heard so much about it. Now, on to the review:

The San Lotano Oval is just that -- an oval. I honestly didn't think this would be that different than the typical round shape of a cigar, but when held, it does feel kind of weird. My cigar was heavily packed and had some significant weight to it. The wrapper was a medium brown color with some veins that were much lighter (almost white) in color. The veins looked like cracks in the wrapper because they were such a different color, but there were no cracks. The pre-lit aroma had some almond scents mixed with a woody characteristic. The cold draw was nice and free, tasting of sweet, natural tobacco.First Third

Lighting up my San Lotano Oval took a significant amount of time because, like I said, this stick was jam-packed full of tobacco. Once I got a nice burn going, the initial flavors were a bit rough. I got some unrefined white pepper on the front with a leathery, almost waxy flavor on the finish. The finish also left some unpleasant harshness on the back of my throat. At this point, I was confused as to why so many people were praising this cigar so highly because I was not enjoying it at all. The positives, however, were the construction and the draw. I was able to pull lots of smoke form the cigar without much effort and the burn was nice and straight. The ash is also worth mentioning because it was solid as a rock and held on well over an inch. The cigar strength fell in the medium range.

Second Third

The second third of my San Lotano was completely different then the first third, and I have to say that I'm glad it was, because I was debating putting this cigar down. The rough starting flavors changed into a more balanced woodiness on the front with a polished peppery spice on the finish. The finish was very clean and lacked all harshness from before. Again, the construction was perfect and the draw excellent. I found that if I really wanted to wake my taste buds up, I could push a little bit of the smoke through my sinuses and it created a strong zing of pepper. At this point I'd put the cigar in the medium to lower full range in strength.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my San Lotano Oval was the same as the second third with maybe just a bit more balance going on between the wood flavor and the spice. I had commented to my smoking partner that this was a very smoothly smoking portion of the cigar and he agreed. Getting down to the nub, the strength of the cigar picked up even more and I would definitely rank it full strength. Even with the unconventional shape, the cigar never needed any relighting and was easy to smoke.

My final thoughts on the San Lotano Oval? I'm glad I didn't let the harsh start to the cigar turn me off right away because once I was past it, I had a great experience. The balance and smoothness of this cigar is what really shines and makes me think that quite a bit of testing went into this stick to get it just right. If anyone else gets a rough start to one of these, just give it time. I think you will enjoy what it turns out to be.

Would I buy it again? Yes I would buy more of these.

Would I buy a box? This is a box worthy cigar. I'd love to see what some age does to them.

November 14, 2011

Today's review is another new cigar from Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars. (You can read the review I did of the AF1 here.) There is not a lot of information online about this cigar, but I do know that it is being made in Esteli, Nicaragua and that it is rumored to be produced at the My Father factory. Like I said, that's just a rumor and Gary Griffith neither confirmed or denied it. If an under-the-radar cigar from My Father doesn't get the cigar geek in you excited, I don't know what will.

Quote from the Emilio Cigars Website: Grimalkin is a unique blend, produced in Esteli, Nicaragua from carefully selected tobaccos. This cigar will be limited in quantity based on harvest conditions. A true masterpiece in the finest tradition. Medium bodied and complex, Grimalkin is designed for the refined palate with an appreciation of subtle nuance in texture and flavor of the smoke.

OK. I'm just going to get it out of the way before I start to get into the meaningful part of the review: this has to be one of, if not the ugliest cigar bands on the market. I understand that Grimalkin means evil cat or something, but wow...there has to be a better way to portray that then a poor man's Cheshire cat eyes. I didn't smoke the band, so I'm glad there are other details to review this cigar on because judging this cigar's graphics...that was an epic fail in my opinion. Looking past the band, the wrapper was quite nice and had a reddish hue to it. The pre-lit aroma was very woody and the cold draw had a similar taste, but also had some hints of dried fruit. The draw was nice and free.

First Third

I didn't know what to expect out of my Grimalkin so I was pleasantly surprised when the cigar opened up with some very unique flavors. On the front, there was a tangy vegetable taste that was enjoyable. It's the flavor I best describe by what you smell when you walk in a well-made green house. The finish had a lot of spicy black pepper that was very Pepin/My Father reminiscent. Both were very strong in taste and each brought a different aspect to the cigar making it far from boring. The burn on my stick was pretty straight and had a very dark "eyeliner" burn line. The power range of the smoke was in the medium range.

Second Third

The second third of my Grimalkin was similar to the first third except the front of the profile picked up some leather flavor notes. It sounds like a strange mix of flavor with vegetable and leather, but somehow it worked and worked well. The finish was still strong black pepper that, even with its strength, finished clean without leaving my mouth feeling dirty or burnt. The construction was top notch, never needing a relight. The strength got more into the full range at this point, but still nothing overwhelming.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my Grimalkin was fantastic. The front of each puff had that lovely (and again, very unique) veggy/leather mix, but the finish changed up into a balance of spice and sweet. The black pepper was still there and roaring, but I picked up some lovely raw sweetness to it that seemed to only get stronger as I got closer to the nub. When you talk about flavor balance in a cigar, this is a perfect example. Like before, the construction was great never getting above the lower-end of full strength.

My final thoughts on the Emilio Cigars Grimalkin? I'm stunned by this cigar and I'm stunned there isn't more hype about it. For me, this is in the Top 10 if not the Top 5 sticks I've smoked this year. I can only guess that the hype isn't there because, when you first see this stick on the shelf or in pictures, the band makes it look like a cheap bundle cigar. I would not pick up this cigar in a shop blindly and I would obviously be missing out. If anyone from Emilio Cigars reads this...you have a fantastic cigar. Don't let people walk past it because of it's look.

November 4, 2011

So I'm a little late on this review as October is officially over, but I'm going to post it anyway...the Quesada Oktoberfest. I saw these sticks on display at this past year's IPCPR tradeshow and I was immediately drawn to the design and the dark wrapper. Germany holds a special place in my heart, as it is the country I was born in, as well as a country I have visited many times growing up. To see the German flag incorporated very nicely into the cigar band was an instant attraction for me.

Quesada is a relatively new company to me as I have only smoked two of their other blends. One I liked a lot, one I hated, so I'll leave it at that. Time to light up another Oktoberfest and see what it brings.

Just like I said above about the attractive band design on this cigar, the stick itself holds up well on the eye test also. The wrapper is VERY oily and has a ton of tooth to it. If you like the look of dark cigars, you're going to love this one. The stick was firm when I squeezed it, but not to hard, so I figured it would draw well. The pre-lit aroma contained cedar and earthy scents and the cold draw tasted as such also.

First Third

My Quesada Oktoberfest opened up a little rough with the first few puffs being quite bitter. After the bitterness subsided, my flavor palate started to pick up what I would describe as some very dark flavors. Think of burnt coffee and earthy musk and you'd be on the right path. The finish was slightly different and had some charred wood notes to it. If those flavors sound good to you then you will be very happy with how this cigar starts off because they are strong in flavor. For me it's not really my cup of tea and I was having a hard time enjoying it. The strength of the cigar's nicotine was in the medium range.

Second Third

The second third of my My Quesada Oktoberfest was pretty much the same as the first third except for the charred wood flavors on the finish seemed to intensify and creep into the front of each draw. It was kind of camp fire-y to me and again, was not really what I was looking for. The other flavors of burnt coffee and earth were still prevalent but started to fade off a bit. I should also mention that my particular stick needed a few touch ups along the way to keep the burn straight. I'd guess that might have something to do with how oily this wrapper is. The strength was the same as the first third; a solid medium.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

I'm not having much luck with final thirds on my reviews recently and this one kept the streak going. During the final third of my Quesada Oktoberfest, the cigar started to make my mouth feel very dirty. The smoke was thick and hot, not thick and mellow like I've written about in reviews past. The flavors stayed the same and were very in your face right until I put the stick down (again, if this dark flavor is the profile you enjoy, and I know many do, make sure you try this cigar for yourself.) Just as consistent as the first two thirds, the strength was solid medium.

My final thoughts on the Quesada Oktoberfest? I smoked one one of these in early October that my friend Pat (@oneputter on twitter) hooked me up with at my football tailgate. It was outside and the air was slightly cool and after I finished smoking the stick I thought, "Hey this is a pretty good cigar." The one I smoked for this review was inside and with me fully paying attention to it and only it, and it was a different story. Maybe there are some consistency issues with this blend or maybe this cigar is just better for an open air environment? Either way this cigar was disappointing this time around.

Would I buy it again? I'll keep smoking Quesada products because I like what they are doing (especially the Espana line because it is awesome), but I think I will pass on buying any more of these.